Frank and Theophile Share God's Word


God  blessed Rwanda Challenge yesterday in some significant ways. At the conclusion of the Sunday morning service, I discovered I would be preaching again in the afternoon. Multiple churches (different denominations) were coming together for a joint service.

Then during lunch we received word that some churches in the North Province were making application of some of the decisions they had made from the teaching on Monday and Tuesday. They were visiting in the homes of neighbors to reach out in love.

After I preached in the afternoon, the church leaders from the different churches invited me to come back and teach all the church leaders (fifty) in the area. Because all the leaders are from the same area, Rwanda Challenge will not need to provide transportation, food, or housing. We are praising God for each victory and for new opportunities to equip church leaders in Rwanda. 

Yesterday we traveled from the East Province to the South Province. In order to reach Nyagaisozi we traveled on the worst roads I have experienced so far in Rwanda. This is located in the former province of Gikongoro in the district of Nyamagabe in the sector of Musanzge. Theophile tells me this is the poorest area in Rwanda. The people farm, but the soil is bad. They need fertilizer, but it is too expensive.
Rwanda is called the "Land of a Thousand Hills." I think we have already seen half of them. Everywhere we go the view is beautiful. In the midst of a difficult life, about 140 gathered to worship Jesus this morning. I was especially encouraged to see a good percentage of men. Often there are only a few men in the church. Today, there were men, women, teenagers, and children. This was a great morning of worshipping God with my brothers and sisters in Nyagisozi.

Sunrise in the "Land of a Thousand Hills"

Church leaders in Gasarabwayi are excited about the training and their new Kinyarwanda Study Bibles.

Ten more church leaders completed “The Five Purposes of the Church” yesterday. Every time we offer this training, the church leaders express how helpful this is for them in leading the local church. I was very impressed with this group of leaders. Their passion for God’s Church is very strong. The preacher at Gasarabwayi, Elijah, and his wife, Rose, stood out as leaders among leaders. Their ability to quickly grasp the teaching and apply it to their culture was very exciting. When we divided the church leaders into two groups to create applications in the local church, one group chose Elijah (third from the left) to represent them and the other group chose Rose (far left beside Theophile).

Yesterday we began the teaching for church leaders in the East Province. Their love for the Church is evident. They long for the Church in The East and Rwanda to grow, but face some major obstacles; poverty, distance to local churches, and lack of Bible training and resources. They were extremely thankful to receive the gift of the recently published Kinyarwanda Study Bible. These leaders are beautiful people in a beautiful part of Rwanda.




The church building in Gasarabwayi.
The mountain range in the distance is Rwinkwavu. To the north (left) is Akagera National Park.

Theophile and I left Ruhengeri in the North Province this morning, stopped in Kigali to pick up supplies, and arrived in Gasarabwayi in the East Province by 5:30. There was a large group from the church here to greet us including most of the church leaders who will be here for the training. Tents are up and the sleeping pads are ready, but, they usually eat about 8:30 or 9:00 PM.

The first group of church leaders completed their two day study of "The Five Purposes of the Church." They left with enough money to get home, a new study Bible, an understanding of God's purpose for His Church, lesson materials to teach other church leaders, an application plan that they created, and joy in their hearts. This was a great beginning to the "Rwanda Tour 2012."
Tomorrow we will travel to the East Province where we will get to do this again. It is such a great blessing to be able to make a difference in the lives and ministries of these Rwandan church leaders. With a growing knowledge of God's word, I am confident that God will use them to strengthen His Church in Rwanda.

The ordinances of the Lord... are sweeter than honey. Psalm 19:10

I wish each one of you could have seen the faces and the joy expressed by the first group of Rwandan church leaders when, today, we gave them a copy of the recently released Kinyarwanda Study Bible. Yes, they did dance and sing. And it was our joy to be able to share this gift. This study Bible is a giant step forward for the church in Rwanda.

Frank and Theophile preparing their "little houses" for the first night.

"Rwanda Tour 2012" officially began yesterday as we left Kigali to teach in Ruhengeri in the North Province. Each night Theophile and I will sleep in these two tents to save money so we can invest more in equipping church leaders.

We enjoyed a good nights sleep on our sleeping pads. Then, what could be better in the morning than fresh Rwandan coffee, fresh bread with honey, and Mt. Sabinyo (big teeth) in the background.

The preaching this morning was so so, but the interpreter was great.

I left Manchester early Monday morning arriving in Kigali on Tuesday. On Wednesday Theophile and I purchased a Toyota Land Cruiser for Rwanda Challenge. After examining many vehicles, Theophile's mechanic friend (40 years experience) said, "This is the one you want to buy. We estimate that this vehicle will pay for itself sometime in 2014.
Today we will finish all the legal papers and get ready for our first trip. Saturday we leave for the North Province to teach church leaders "The Five Purposes of the Church." In June of 2011, we taught this for church leaders in the West Province and they found it to be extremely helpful.